Authigenic phyllosilicates in modern acid saline lake sediments and implications for Mars

Aluminum-and Fe/Mg-phyllosilicates are considered important geochemical indicators in terrestrial and Martian sedimentary systems. Traditionally, Al-phyllosilicates are characterized as forming and remaining stable under conditions of low to moderate pH, while Fe/Mg-phyllosilicates are considered representative of only dilute and moderate to high pH conditions. However, we have observed Al- and Fe/Mg-phyllosilicates in acid saline lake sediments in Western Australia. Phyllosilicate formation mechanisms in these lake systems include direct precipitation from lake waters, early diagenetic precipitation from shallow groundwaters, and deposition/alteration of detrital grains. X-ray diffraction analysis of silt-and clay-size sediments from two acid saline lakes in Western Australia indicates the presence of several complex mineral assemblages with extreme spatial heterogeneity that reflects the complex geochemistry of these lakes. These assemblages include unique combinations of authigenic and/or detrital phyllosilicates (e. g., kaolinite, smectite, and palygorskite-sepiolite), sulfates (e. g., alunite, jarosite, and gypsum), Fe-oxides (e. g., hematite and goethite), and other silicates (e. g., mullite and heulandite-clinoptilolite). Observations of Fe/Mg-phyllosilicates found in acid saline sediments in southern Western Australia suggest their degradation under conditions of low pH (2.5-5.4) is slowed by the high salinity (5-25%) of the lake and shallow groundwaters. The occurrence of both Al- and Fe/Mg-phyllosilicates in these acid saline lake sediments suggests that environmental interpretations based on the occurrence of phyllosilicates require additional consideration of their spatial distribution and association with other minerals. Moreover, the similarity between the diverse mineral assemblages in these terrestrial acid saline systems and those on Mars indicates similar conditions may have existed on Mars.